


Ways Eddie Says "I Love You"

by nevercomestheday



Series: Ways _____ Says "I Love You" [1]
Category: Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Genre: (in one scene), (in the beginning), (in the end), (the list items are second person and the scenes are third), Boundaries, Canon Compliant, Canon Dialogue, Canon-Typical Violence, Christmas Fluff, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Drunkenness, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, High School, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Letters, Lists, M/M, Making Out, Moving In Together, POV Alternating, POV Second Person, POV Third Person, Pre-Canon, Prison, Some Humor, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 09:57:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 36
Words: 5,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5781505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevercomestheday/pseuds/nevercomestheday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A list of ways Eddie tells Vic he loves him, without actually telling him he loves him... most of the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> READ THIS ONE FIRST, THEN THE VIC ONE (that's how I wrote them!)
> 
> ALSO- yes, there will be (or is, if you're from the future) a Creamsicle one too. I just wound up writing the TB one first. <3 Hope you enjoy!  
> Characters belong to Quentin Tarantino.

**shares his lunch with you when you don’t have anything, even though you know he’s still hungry**

_Eddie tears open his lunch, humming to himself. Vic slides down the wall to sit next to him in their usual place behind the school._

_It takes until he’s unpacked his entire lunch for Eddie to notice Vic is empty-handed._

_“Where’s your lunch, man?”_

_Vic shrugs. “Don’t have one today.”_

_Eddie frowns and watches Vic fish a cigarette out of his pocket. When he comes back up with one, Eddie is holding half his sandwich out._

_“Here, Vic, take some of mine. You gotta eat.”_

_Vic is too hungry and too tired to put up a fight about it, so he takes the food and nods once to Eddie._

_When Eddie’s finished with his portion and still feeling hungry, he looks up at Vic, who is eating slowly, like he knows he won’t eat again today. A strange feeling hits, and he must be making a face, because Vic looks back at him funny._

_“What the fuck you starin’ at?” Vic asks, mouth full._

_“Nothin’. You got any plans tonight? You should come to my place for dinner.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**sneaks out of his house to come get you when your dad gets especially drunk and violent**

_ Vic was supposed to be at Eddie’s two hours ago, and even though it’s technically ten minutes past curfew, Eddie has a bad feeling in his gut. Vic doesn’t like to talk about the problems he has at home, but the three times Eddie has been around to pick him up, he’s heard… things. Bad things. And sometimes, Vic shows up to school with bruises.  _

_ Eddie knows how Vic gets and would never say anything, but at the same time, he’s scared as hell one of these days, Vic won’t make it out of the house in one piece. _

_ Joe is in his office on some business call, so when Eddie slips out the back door and into his car, he’s not noticed. He’s so anxious about Vic, he doesn’t turn the radio on the whole way there. _

_ Vic’s neighborhood is frightening- no streetlamps, lots of tiny, run-down houses all cramped together, and the persistent sound of dogs barking. Eddie swallows his fear and pulls up by Vic’s place. _

_ He can see a tall, shadowy figure through the window, and he can hear that figure shouting. The sound of glass breaking is followed by what could only be Vic’s mother screaming, and when Eddie opens his eyes again, he sees another figure, slightly smaller but undoubtedly recognizable. The first figure hits the one Eddie knows is Vic, hard and fast right to the eye, and when the sound of Vic’s cry hits Eddie’s ears, his stomach goes through the floor of the car.  _

_ Gathering as much strength as he can, he shifts back into drive, lays on the horn, and watches with his foot hovering over the gas pedal as Vic runs outside. _

_ He gets into the car without a word, and after Eddie speeds to the first light outside the neighborhood, he turns to look at Vic. He has a pretty nasty bruise forming- he can hardly open his left eye- and on his jaw is a still-bleeding cut.  _

_ “Vic…” _

_ “I’m fine, Eddie. Let’s just go home.” _

 


	3. Chapter 3

**begs his father to let you move in, and when he says yes, already has a set of things waiting for you**

_ Vic sits on the foot of Eddie’s bed, listening through the wall to the conversation Eddie and Joe are having. He can only make out bits and pieces, but eventually, he hears the most important part. _

_ “Daddy, Vic needs to stay with us. He’d never ask, but you know how bad things are for him at home, and I can’t let him stay there.” _

_ Vic’s not one for sentimental nonsense, but he feels a little warmth come through at that sentence. _

_ “Alright, alright, fine. But you’ve got to share a room, and you’re gonna be responsible if you two fuck this place up, you hear me?!” Joe’s growl seeps under the door and up to Vic like smoke. _

_ “Fine, deal! Thank you so much, Daddy, you won’t regret this, I promise!”  _

_ Eddie bursts into the bedroom with a grin on his face so wide, Vic’s sure it has to hurt. He rushes Vic and hugs him tight. _

_ “Oh, hold on a sec!” he says, and shuffles over to the dresser. He pulls open the bottom-left drawer, and in it are a little set of things for Vic- a new toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, a blanket, and a tiny bottle of cologne. When Eddie hands him the little bundle, Vic is surprised to find that Eddie remembered what kind of cologne he likes. _

_ “Thanks,” he mumbles.   _


	4. Chapter 4

**lets you use the good pillow (after much complaining)**

_ The first night with Vic as a permanent resident of the Cabot household falls, and after being properly welcomed into his- no, their- bedroom by Eddie, the two walk over to the window to have a smoke.  _

_ “Make sure to blow your smoke out the window, Vic. Daddy’ll kill me if the room stinks.” _

_ Vic just chuckles and slips an arm around Eddie’s waist. He drapes himself over Eddie, burying his head in Eddie’s neck and nearly burning his waist with the cigarette still in Vic’s hand.  _

_ When they finish and head back to bed, Vic frowns.  _

_ “What?” _

_ “I want the other pillow. This one’s shit.”  _

_ At first, Eddie groans. “Come on, Vic, this one’s mine… We can buy you a new pillow on the weekend… Come on…” _

_ Vic folds his arms. “Eddie, I want the fuckin’ pillow. Don’t be such a little bitch about everything.” _

_ “I am not a little-” Eddie squeaks, then bursts out laughing. “Fine, take the fuckin’ pillow. I don’t need it anyway. I’ll just use your shoulder.” Expecting some smartass response from Vic, Eddie smirks and sits up straighter. _

_ Instead, Vic just shrugs. “Okay.” _


	5. Chapter 5

**puts up with your constant questions during movies and explains everything to you patiently**

_ The TV is on, the volume just high enough to be heard over Vic’s low mumble. _

_ “Wait, who’s this fuckin’ bitch? I don’t get it.” _

_ Eddie sighs. “That’s just the girl. She doesn’t have a name.” _

_ “Why’s she trying to blow them up?” he asks. _

_ “She’s pissed because- well, shit, that’ll ruin the movie for you. Wait, Vic, haven’t we seen this one before?” Eddie turns to look up at Vic, tangled up in one another’s limbs. _

_ “Yeah, I think so, but I fuckin’ forgot, all right?” Vic sounds angry, but Eddie knows he’s embarrassed. _

_ “It’s fine, you weren’t payin’ much attention the first time we watched it anyway,” Eddie giggles. “Anyway, she’s Jake’s ex. He left her at the fuckin’ altar or somethin’.”  _

_ Vic squints. “And Jake is Belushi, right?” _

_ “Right.” _


	6. Chapter 6

**somehow feels comfortable enough to be naked around you, even though you make fun of him constantly (he gets his fair share of jabs in edgewise, though)**

_ Eddie steps out of his towel, the same nervous glint in his eye as every time he’s ever been naked around Vic (he suspects he’d be more nervous around anyone else, but despite what he’s told people, Vic’s still the only one).  _

_ “Damn, Nice Guy, you’re really somethin’,” Vic says. His tone is playful and sarcastic. _

_ “Yeah, well look at you, Mr. My-New-Tattoos-Make-Me-Think-I’m-Fuckin’-Tough!” Eddie laughs, tossing the towel at Vic. _

_ “In a minute I’m gonna pin you the fuck to the ground,” Vic growls, smile still spread wide across his face. _

_ “Do it!” Eddie grins, and within three seconds, Vic’s got him on the floor of the bedroom, sinking his teeth into his neck and shoulder. _


	7. Chapter 7

**always takes the blame for your shit, including that time you drank Joe’s liquor cabinet dry**

_“Eddie! Vic!” Joe roars from across the hall. “Get your asses in here, NOW!”_

_“Shit, Eddie… You think this is about last night?” Vic mutters as they get up off the couch._

_“What the fuck else could it be?” Eddie whispers fiercely. “Just… Just don’t say anything, okay? I’ll handle it.”_

_They step into Joe’s home office, heads down._

_“My liquor cabinet was bone dry when I got to it this afternoon. Who wants to tell me what the fuck happened?” Joe’s entire head reddens._

_Vic lifts his head and takes a breath, but Eddie speaks first._

_“Daddy, I’m sorry. That was me. I kinda got wasted last night, had a real bad night. It was, uh… It’s a long story. Vic’s the one who cleaned everything up, though, Daddy. I threw up all over the fuckin’ place, and he cleaned everything. I’m so sorry.” Eddie looks down at the floor the whole time he speaks._

_Vic feels his stomach churn. He knows what really happened last night._ He _got smashed._ He _puked all over the place, and it was Eddie, as usual, who helped him out._

_“Vic, is that true?” Joe grumbles._

_Vic feels Eddie’s foot nudge his own, and he nods. “Yes, Joseph.”_


	8. Chapter 8

**remembers your favorite things and makes sure Joseph keeps them around the house**

_ Eddie makes up the grocery list, just as Joe asked. He takes a careful inventory of the fridge and the pantry, making a note of each item that’s missing or nearly finished. When he gets to the end of the list, he looks around, chews the pen cap for a second, and then writes down four things- Doritos, Gatorade, three Milky Way bars, and Tab soda. He leaves the list on Joe’s desk, and sure enough, when Joe comes home with groceries, Eddie comes around to put them away. _

_ A few hours later, when Vic is half-drunk and asking for a snack, Eddie smiles. He goes to the kitchen and brings him back a bowl of Doritos, a Milky Way, and a Tab, and Vic only sort of understands the gesture.  _

_ The next morning, when he’s hungover and grouchy, Vic shuffles to the kitchen to find a Gatorade, some aspirin, and a pair of sunglasses sitting on the counter. There’s no note there, because Vic wouldn’t read it anyway, but he knows it’s got to be Eddie.  _

_ It’s always Eddie. _


	9. Chapter 9

**before you get a job, he pays for everything without a word**

_ “Okay, the movie starts in a half hour, so we’d better haul ass,” Eddie says as he pushes his empty plate away from him. _

_ “Fine by me,” Vic mumbles. _

_ Eddie flags down the waitress and gets the check, and while Vic is fishing around in his jacket for a buck, Eddie shakes his head. He pays the bill and says goodbye to the waitress before Vic can even look up. _

_ “Vic, I’ve fuckin’ got it. Okay? Relax.” _

 


	10. Chapter 10

**gets you a job working for Joe**

_ Vic’s been complaining about not having any spending money, and it’s finally worn Eddie down.  _

_ “You want a job with Daddy? I can get you a job with him, like what I do.” _

_ Vic groans. “Eddie, I’m no good with all them fuckin’ numbers. That’s not my thing.” _

_ Eddie smiles. “Then I’ll tell Daddy to put you on a job or two. I’ve got it.” _

_ Within an hour of that conversation, Vic is meeting with Joe about his first job. A week goes by, and that’s one less thing for Eddie to worry about.  _

_ Now, he’s just worried about Vic getting pulled in by the cops. _


	11. Chapter 11

**explains things to you patiently, even if he’s already told you the same thing three times before**

_ “I still don’t fuckin’ get it,” Vic whines. “Where am I supposed to be?” _

_ “Hey, cool it. You’re fine. You’re standing over by the door of the convenience store,” Eddie says calmly. _

_ “I thought that’s where the other fuckin’ guy is. I don’t get it.” Vic’s hands are balled into fists and his teeth are clenched, and Eddie knows what’s happening. _

_ “Okay, okay, here. I’ll draw it out.” He pulls a piece of paper out from under the paperweight on the desk and scribbles out a little diagram. “So here,” he points with his pen, “is where you stand. Here’s where the other guy stands.” _

_ “I’m by the door there?” Vic’s cigarette is dropping ash all over the diagram, but Eddie doesn’t budge. _

_ “Yes. You’re right there until you get the signal to go in. Right?” _

_ Vic nods. “Okay, I got it now.” _


	12. Chapter 12

**doesn’t make you ask to move in with him when he gets his first apartment- “I wasn’t gonna fuckin’ leave you there”**

_ “Uh, Eddie?” Vic asks one day as he helps Eddie pack his things. _

_ “Yeah?” _

_ “So, if you’re leaving… uh… Where the fuck am I gonna be?” Vic immediately goes to work on lighting a cigarette, nervous hands busying themselves. _

_ Eddie stops and chuckles. “Vic, are you fuckin’ kidding me?” _

_ Vic gets defensive. “No, I’m not fuckin’ kidding you.” _

_ “Vic, you’re coming with me. This ain’t just my place. Did you think I was just gonna fuckin’ leave you here?” He walks closer to Vic. _

_ “I don’t fuckin’ know…” _

_ Eddie goes to hug him, kisses his cheek. “Come on, Vic… When was the last time I forgot you?” _


	13. Chapter 13

**only gets a little mad when you run up the cable bill the first month out**

_ “Vic… What the fuck is this charge?” Eddie calls from the kitchen. _

_ “What?” _

_ “Come look at this fuckin’ bill!” Eddie stands there, anxiously running his hand through his hair as he watches Vic walk up to him. “Do you see this? Do you see what this fuckin’ says?” _

_ “No.” _

_ “It’s a pay-per-view charge, Vic. In fact, it’s nine pay-per-view charges. When do you even get the fuckin’  _ time _?!” He shakes the bill in his hand, face red. _

_ Vic looks down. “I don’t fuckin’ know… I didn’t know it cost that much money…” _

_ Eddie exhales loudly and lowers his shoulders. “You know what, it’s fine. Just… Next time you want to watch fuckin’ skin flicks… come find me. I’ll take care of you.” He winks and lets out a loud laugh. “Why, Mr. Vega…” he says in a falsetto, “you’re looking rather… big… today…” He laughs even harder and Vic slugs his shoulder. _

_ “Don’t even fuckin’ start with me, Eddie… I’ll fuckin’ destroy you,” he half-chuckles. _

_ “I dare you.” _


	14. Chapter 14

**makes you coffee most mornings**

_ It’s the morning of some big meeting Eddie has, so he’s gone about fifteen minutes before Vic wakes up. When Vic does shuffle to the kitchen to find something to keep him from dropping, he finds a steaming cup of coffee sitting on the counter. _

_ He chuckles to himself. “Eddie…” _

_ Underneath the mug is a note, but since Eddie knows Vic’s not big on reading, it’s just a smiley face and a signature Vic would recognize anywhere. _


	15. Chapter 15

**gets you a really nice watch for Christmas, and doesn’t complain when all you get him is a coffee mug**

_ Christmas morning comes with only a small hangover, and Vic and Eddie wake up sometime after eleven. Their little Christmas tree is in the living room corner, still lit from last night. _

_ “Hey, Vic,” Eddie says with a nudge. “Go look under the tree.” _

_ “Eddie, I’m not a fuckin’ kid…” Vic groans. _

_ “Just do it!” Eddie whines.  _

_ They walk to the tree together, and Eddie stands behind Vic with a little smile on his face when Vic finds the red-wrapped box.  _

_ “Santa?” Vic teases. _

_ “Just open it, man,” Eddie laughs. _

_ He tears into the paper to find a very nice watch, one that had to be at least a couple hundred bucks. _

_ “Shit,” he murmurs. _

_ “You like it?” Eddie smiles.  _

_ Vic just nods. “Oh, uh… I got you something, too.”  _

_ Eddie’s smile grows a little, clearly surprised. “You did?” _

_ “Yeah, here.” Vic pulls a little bag out from under the tree. “I, uh… hope you like it.” _

_ It’s a coffee mug with a big black “E” on it, and as disproportionate as their gifts are, Eddie looks happier than Vic’s seen him all week. _

_ “I love it, man. Thanks.” _


	16. Chapter 16

**does all the laundry, because “let’s be real here Vic, if I didn’t do it, it just wouldn’t get done”**

_ It’s not that Eddie likes to do the laundry. It’s that he knows if he doesn’t do it, it’ll just pile up and fester until it becomes a sentient sock monster.  _

_ Usually he does it while Vic is out of the house, but he doesn’t have anywhere to be today, so Eddie finds himself picking up socks and underwear for an audience.  _

_ At some point, he notices Vic’s staring every time he bends down to pick up some article of clothing. _

_ “What?” Eddie laughs. _

_ “What time does the laundry room close?” Vic asks, cigarette hanging from his lips. _

_ “I think ten, why?”  _

_ Vic looks at the clock. 5:30. He gets up, walks halfway to Eddie, remembers his cigarette and stops short, turning on a dime to put it in the ashtray this time, and then pounces on Eddie. _

 


	17. Chapter 17

**leaves you notes when you wake up after he’s left for the day**

_ Sure, Vic’s not a big reader, but that doesn’t stop Eddie from leaving him simple little notes on the mornings he leaves first. _

_ This morning’s note says, in big letters, “I’M BRINGING DINNER HOME. DON’T GET FOOD.” There’s also a small smiley face and a couple of Xs on the bottom of the page. _

_ Vic gets himself ready and goes out, and wouldn’t you know it, he actually remembers this time to go home for dinner. _

 


	18. Chapter 18

**also does all the grocery shopping, because “you don’t know how to fuckin’ shop, Vic. You just buy enough for one meal, and then you fuckin’ eat half of it on the drive home!”**

_ The only time Vic goes grocery shopping is when Eddie has a conference someplace and can’t take him along. He waits until the pantry is completely bare to go to the store, and then, when he does, only buys what he thinks he can eat at the time.  _

_ One afternoon, Eddie gets home early from a meeting in Vegas to find Vic pulling into the driveway with a half-empty bag of chips in his lap and an empty bottle of soda in the passenger seat. _

_ “Vic, what the fuck,” Eddie deadpans, not surprised at all. “The house is empty and you bought chips, soda, and a fuckin’ sandwich?” _

_ “You’re home early.” _

_ Eddie, after kissing Vic hard on the mouth, leaves for the store, muttering something under his breath about how Vic is “lucky he’s so damn pretty.” _


	19. Chapter 19

**does everything in his power to help when you’re caught at the warehouse**

_ Eddie’s office phone is hot in his hand. He’s been on it for hours, on the phone with lawyers and friends and anyone he can think of to help Vic.  _

_ “Please,” he says for the hundredth time. “I’ll pay you any amount you ask.” _

_ When he hangs up, he runs his hands through his hair and sighs.  _

_ He walks over to his window and tugs at the curtains. When the setting sun hits his eye, he bites his lip.  _

_ He just hopes and prays they don’t sentence him hard. _


	20. Chapter 20

**despite his inability to call, and against his father’s wishes, sends you messages through the lawyer he got for you**

_ Vic sits in the interview room and frowns at his handcuffs. His lawyer, a short, stocky man with the thickest glasses Vic’s ever seen, drops into the seat across the table from him.  _

_ “Before we get started,” the man says as he looks over at the uniformed officer standing by the door, “I have a message for you from your aunt… Edith.” _

_ “What?” Vic scoffs. “I don’t have-” It hits him just in time. “Oh, yeah, my aunt... “ _

_ “She wants to tell you that everything will be fine, she loves you very much, and is gonna be there for you no matter what happens.” _

_ Vic looks down at his hands. He and Eddie rarely, if ever, say “I love you,” and so it takes Vic a second to register just how serious things are.  _

_ “Can, uh, you get a message back to my aunt?” he mutters. _

_ The lawyer nods. _

_ “Tell her I can handle it. And, uh… Tell her I love her, too.” _


	21. Chapter 21

  **sends you letters through various phony sources**

_ Vic gets letters often, and though they all appear to be coming from different sources, the only person who’s actually written him is Eddie.  _

_ Today a letter from “Jan” comes, and though he’s not great at reading handwriting, he knows he’ll be able to handle this one the moment he sees Eddie’s big, blocky letters.  _

DEAR VIC,

JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW I’M THINKING ABOUT YOU. THE DAY YOU GET OUT IS GONNA BE THE BEST DAY OF BOTH OF OUR LIVES.

I’M ALREADY STOCKING THE LIQUOR CABINET.

LOVE ALWAYS

XXXXXX 


	22. Chapter 22

  **sends you Milky Way bars on your birthday every year, along with tins of cookies “from your aunt”**

_ It’s Vic’s first birthday in prison, and though he never really cared for them before, today makes him feel a little more depressed than usual.  _

_ The whole morning, he thinks about what he and Eddie did for his last birthday, which didn’t seem like much at the time, but would now be enough to send Vic to Cloud Nine. _

_ He’s told he has some mail, a package. What? Since when does he get anything other than Eddie’s letters? _

_ Sure enough, a box is brought to him. It’s filled with Milky Way bars- at least twenty of them- and a little tin of cookies. The box says it’s from “Aunt Edith,” and there’s a little slip of paper in the box. _

VIC-

I KNOW IT WON’T BE AS GOOD AS LAST YEAR, BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY. KNOW I’M HAVING A DRINK FOR YOU TONIGHT.

LOVE ALWAYS 

XXXXX 


	23. Chapter 23

**almost cries when he sees you, and picks right up where you left off (he also gives you a big kiss on the cheek- screw it if Joseph sees)**

_ It’s like nothing’s changed. Other than the long, painfully happy greeting and the kiss on the cheek (in front of Joe, no less!), Eddie is the same as he was when Vic left him, if a little rounder and a little more stressed.  _

_ Vic, however, is not quite the same. Something’s off. _

_ Eddie notices it, but chalks it up to exhaustion and readjusting. The second he gets Vic alone, he pulls him into another hug, this time burying his face into Vic’s shoulder. _

_ Eddie doesn’t treat Vic like a con, or a burden, or anything other than Vic. He just looks so damn  _ happy  _ to see Vic.  _


	24. Chapter 24

**gets you a job-job type job and also convinces Joseph to put you on the next big caper**

_ It may not be the best idea, but Vic wants to work so much. Eddie promises him a job, convinces Joe to let him work this next big job. He sets up an arrangement with a buddy of his down at the docks so Vic can have a straight job on paper, and the next day, takes him down to Long Beach to get it all set up. _

_ They walk down the street together, and Eddie can’t stop smiling. _

_ “What are you so giddy about?” Vic asks as they approach the docks. _

_ “I’m just so fuckin’ glad to have you home, Vic. Like, so fuckin’ glad.” He’s blushing as he says it. _

_ Vic almost wants to slap him; he’s acting like a little girl. Something about it is somehow charming, though, in that weird way Eddie’s always been charming.  _

_ So, Vic just smiles back, even if he feels funny, and lets Eddie get right back to what he’s always done- being almost too helpful. _


	25. Chapter 25

**has all your things exactly how you left them, and made sure to wash your clothes before you got back**

_ “I know you have to get a place by yourself for now,” Eddie says when he opens the door, “but I left your shit exactly the way you left it.” _

_ Vic just nods as he walks into the apartment. The only thing that isn’t quite the same is the pile of laundry. “This is nice and all… but where are my fuckin’ clothes?” _

_ “They’re in the dresser. I washed them.” Eddie points to the other side of the room. “Didn’t want them to smell fuckin’ musty.” _

_ Vic is almost surprised by the gesture, though he really shouldn’t be after all this time. He decides he’s surprised because it’s been so long since he’s seen Eddie, and he sort of forgot how overwhelming his favors can be. _

_ “Thanks.” _


	26. Chapter 26

**picks up on your new boundaries almost immediately, and doesn’t take offense to the times you don’t feel up to fooling around**

_ They’re in the bedroom of the apartment, making out on the side of the bed, but when Eddie’s hand starts to make its way up Vic’s thigh, he jumps back.  _

_ “What, what’s the matter?” Eddie asks. _

_ Vic shakes his head. “I don’t fuckin’ feel like it anymore, okay?” _

_ Eddie looks at him for a second, studying his face, and finds the thin layer of fear hiding underneath all the hostility. “Okay. You wanna watch TV or something?” _

_ Vic clears his throat. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.” _

_ They sit on opposite sides of the bed rather than tangled up together, but Eddie doesn’t mind. He just watches Vic, worried expression on his face, while they watch television. _


	27. Chapter 27

**comes by the place you had to get by yourself and tries to make you feel as comfortable as possible**

_ “This isn’t so bad, right?” Eddie says with a smile as he pushes the couch against the wall. “Not too shabby.” _

_ Vic is a little distant, but he nods. “I guess.” _

_ “C’mon, Vic. Wanna order in and watch a movie or something?” He walks up to Vic, but doesn’t touch him. When he gets like this, Eddie knows the best thing is to give Vic his space. _

_ “I guess.” _

_ Eddie sits down on the couch and pats the space next to him, but Vic sits on the other side, an expression close to a scowl resting on his face. _

_ Eventually, Vic reaches a hand out to Eddie. Eddie takes it and squeezes gently. _

_ By the end of the show, they’re only a couple of inches apart. Eddie counts it as a victory. _


	28. Chapter 28

**doesn’t treat you any differently, even if you feel like a completely different person**

_ Vic watches Eddie carefully the first two weeks home. He watches his expressions, watches the way his face lights up whenever they meet, the way his cheeks redden when he hears Vic say his name.  _

_ He concludes that, for some reason, Eddie isn’t acting different. Yeah, he’s less touchy, but that’s just because Vic’s been putting out “keep your distance” vibes. Eddie’s been helpful, as always, and respectful, and even though Vic feels like he’s returned to a world he no longer fits in, Eddie somehow manages to make him feel just a little bit better.  _

_ Eddie still buys him his favorite snack foods, and still makes the same old jokes. He doesn’t look at him exactly the same way, though- while he always used to look at Vic like he was special, now he looks at him like he’s made of gold. Eddie looks at Vic like a starving person looks at a Thanksgiving feast. _

_ Vic will never say it aloud, but he appreciates it. Eddie is his one tie to reality, to home. _


	29. Chapter 29

**buys you a bottle of your favorite liquor to celebrate the night before the job and doesn’t get in your face when you drink it alone in your bedroom**

_ “Look what I got!” Eddie beams when he walks through the door. “Crown Royal!” _

_ Vic smiles. Eddie remembers everything. “Shit, I haven’t had Crown Royal since…” _

_ “Since fuckin’ high school! Remember when we shared one of these that day we cut class?” Eddie laughs. _

_ Vic’s eyes look the same as they used to for a moment, like he’s happy again. He takes the bottle in his hand and feels Eddie put a hand on his shoulder.  _

_ “We can do whatever you want, man. It’s for good luck, y’know. For tomorrow.” Eddie’s smiling wide, but something behind Vic’s eyes changes, and he looks down at the bottle with a frown. _

_ He shakes his shoulder out from under Eddie’s hand. “I’m… Leave me the fuck alone for a little, would ya?” _

_ Eddie’s hurt, of course, but he reminds himself this is just how things are. Something must’ve happened to Vic in prison, something bad, but since Eddie doesn’t know what it is or exactly how to help, he decides to just go with whatever Vic says. If he wants to be alone, he’ll be let alone. _


	30. Chapter 30

**welcomes you with open arms when you do finally come out, drunk and uncomfortable, and lets you wrap yourself around him (which he’s missed so, so much, but he doesn’t bother you with sentimentality)**

_ Two hours go by, and Eddie is still at Vic’s. He’s on the couch watching reruns of  _ Baywatch _ , debating whether or not he should go home. _

_ Suddenly, the bedroom door opens, and Vic comes out. He’s clearly drunk, and the expression on his face is somewhere between sad and uncomfortable. Eddie rises to his feet, instinctively ready to catch Vic should he fall. _

_ “Eddie… I’m sorry,” Vic slurs. “I’m a fuckin’ asshole.” He walks up to Eddie and wraps his arms around him. _

_ Eddie breathes a sigh of relief he’s been holding for four years. “Vic…” _

_ “No, no, I mean it,” Vic grumbles.  _

_ Eddie just holds Vic there. Tears are welling up in his eyes, but he’s not about to let Vic see. _

_ “It’s okay.” _


	31. Chapter 31

**picks you up to go to breakfast and waits for you to initiate anything**

_ Eddie drives up to Vic’s place, and when he comes out to the car smiling and significantly less hungover than Eddie expected, Eddie gets a gut feeling that the day will be good. _

_ “Good morning!” he chirps.  _

_ “Hi, Eddie,” Vic says softly. “You’re a little early.” _

_ “Well, I thought… I mean… If you wanted to, uh…” Eddie looks down and fiddles with the sleeves of his jacket. _

_ Vic looks out the windows, turns to Eddie, and then pounces on him, kissing his face and slipping his hands up his jacket. _

_ “Mmph!” Eddie exclaims. It’s like he’s been shot up with straight dopamine. They’re kissing like they used to, Vic is happy, Vic is biting his bottom lip and pushing him against the car door.  _

_ Eddie can’t remember a time he was happier. _


	32. Chapter 32

**does not, at any point, blame you for screwing up the heist, even though it was your fault and White won’t shut up about it**

_ Larry won’t shut up about Vic shooting up the diamond store, and yeah, maybe he did, but Eddie doesn’t totally buy it. _

_ Even when Vic admits to turning the place into what Eddie called “a fuckin’ bullet festival,” Eddie still doesn’t blame Vic.  _

_ This is the new Vic, the slightly different Vic, the Vic with the weird temper and the minimized patience. Those people in the store must’ve done something wrong. Vic wouldn’t have done this unprovoked. _

_...right? _


	33. Chapter 33

**trusts you with the hostage cop and the bleeding Mr. Orange, even if you both know he shouldn’t have (he just won’t believe you’ve changed that much since prison)**

_ Eddie’s not sure why he left Vic with the cop and Orange. It probably wasn’t a good idea, but come on. How bad could it be? _

_ Orange is half-dead, and they can’t let the cop go now, so even if Vic kills him, so what? It’s not a big deal. _

_ The whole drive to get the diamonds and back, through phone calls and radio and Larry never shutting up about getting Orange a doctor, Eddie’s mind is on Vic. He hopes he’ll come back to find everyone still alive and in one piece. _


	34. Chapter 34

**cries when he finds you dead on the ground, if only for a moment before the seething rage kicks in**

_ No. _

_ It can’t be. It just can’t.  _

_ Eddie drops the diamonds, drops to his knees, drops his heart on the floor when he sees Vic. It’s not even Vic anymore. It’s Vic’s  _ body _.  _

_ He can’t breathe. He’s gonna collapse, or puke, or all of the above. It’s not fair. It’s just not fucking fair. _

_ He just got home. Vic just. Came. Home. Things were just getting better. This morning, everything was fine! He was himself again! The world was finally getting back to normal and now… Now this?!  _

_ Eddie’s never been so furious. He can hear that shitstain Orange talking to Larry about why he did it.  _

_ There could literally never be a reason good enough for Eddie to accept. _


	35. Chapter 35

**defends your honor, even though he can see you tortured the cop (he just won’t believe you did anything warranting your death, ever)**

_ Larry is going on and on, and Orange is groaning about it. Now even Pink is talking about what Vic did. _

_ It doesn’t matter, though. Eddie doesn’t think it was enough. _

_ “Eddie, he was pullin’ a burn, man… He was gonna kill the cop and me. When you guys walked through the door, he was gonna blow you to Hell and make off with the diamonds.” _

_ Oh, that was just too much.  _

_ Eddie thought he’d never been so furious before, but now this fucker is trying to lie to him about Vic? He’s trying to convince Eddie that Vic was gonna double cross him? Oh, he’s so wrong. Now Eddie knows he’s a filthy liar. _

_ “The man you just killed just got released from prison. He got caught at a company warehouse full of hot items. He coulda fuckin’ walked. All he had to do was say my dad’s name, but he didn’t. He kept his fuckin’ mouth shut. And he did his fuckin’ time and he did it like a man. He did four years for us. So, Mr. Orange, you’re telling me that this very good friend of mine, who did four years for my father, who in four years never made a deal no matter what they dangled in front of him, you’re telling me that now that this man is free, and we’re making good on our commitment to him, he’s just gonna DECIDE… OUTTA THE FUCKIN’ BLUE… TO RIP US OFF?! Why don’t you tell me what  _ really  _ happened.” _

_ Eddie is so ready to jump on that motherfucker, so ready to squeeze the last few drops of life out of that pathetic son of a bitch, but Joe walks in. _

_ Bastard got lucky. _


	36. Chapter 36

**dies thinking not of his father, who he was defending, but of you (and isn’t that how it’s always been?)**

_ Eddie goes down like a lead balloon when Larry shoots him. He’s too weak to move; he’s dying fast, but those last few moments give him a chance to realize his situation. _

_ It’s over. It’s all over. _

_ The world around him is dimming, and consciousness is slipping away, but Vic shows up in his head. Big surprise. _

_ At least now, they can be together, he thinks. At least now, he can have Vic back. _


End file.
